Honda Motor is in the final stages of preparing a new hybrid vehicle production plant in Ohio, with an investment of about 300 billion to 400 billion yen ($1.9 billion to $2.53 billion), according to Japan’s Nikkei business daily. The plant is expected to begin production in 2030. Honda has not yet confirmed the project, its site or its capacity. However, the reported investment would mark Honda‘s largest new manufacturing commitment in the United States since it abandoned its North American electric vehicle programme in March 2026. Ohio already hosts five of Honda’s 12 US factories, including its original Marysville Auto Plant, where the company began building cars in America in 1982.
Honda Hybrid Vehicle Plant Follows Collapse of Ohio EV Hub
The new Honda hybrid vehicle plant would take shape in the same state where Honda’s electric vehicle ambitions unravelled earlier this year. In October 2022, Honda committed $700 million to retool its Marysville, East Liberty and Anna plants into what it called the Ohio EV Hub, a figure it later raised to more than $1 billion.
That hub was built to assemble the Honda 0 SUV, the Honda 0 Saloon and the Acura RSX on flexible lines able to handle gasoline, hybrid and battery electric models. On March 12, 2026, Honda cancelled all three vehicles and warned of losses of up to 2.5 trillion yen ($15.7 billion) linked to the reset of its electrification strategy.
Consequently, Honda signalled its first expected annual net loss since listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1957. The company pointed to US tariff changes eroding margins on its gasoline and hybrid business, alongside fierce competition from newer EV makers in Asia.
Moreover, Honda has since said the Prologue, its last battery electric model sold in the US, will end production after the 2026 model year. The Marysville and East Liberty plants are continuing to build gasoline and hybrid vehicles.
Honda Hybrid Vehicle Plant Targets Tariff Exposure and Lower Costs
A dedicated Ohio plant fits the hybrid strategy Honda set out after its EV retreat. In May 2026, the company said it would raise the local content of key hybrid components, such as motors and inverters, to more than four times current levels to blunt tariff costs and reduce supply chain risk.
Additionally, Honda has said it aims to cut the cost of its next generation hybrid system by more than 30 percent compared with the current version. Building hybrids and their core parts closer to American buyers would support both goals.
The North American market remains central to Honda’s earnings. Honda sold about 1.6 million vehicles in the region in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, roughly half of its global total of 3.39 million, even as regional sales slipped by 49,000 units.
American Honda chief executive Kazuhiro Fujimura told investors in May that the company had concluded EV viability was not currently assured, and that it would pursue stable earnings from its combustion and hybrid business. Details on the Ohio plant’s location, workforce, floor area and incentive package have not been released.
Central Ohio Manufacturing Investment Tracks the Onshoring Push
The same tariff and supply chain pressures pushing Honda to localise hybrid production are also reshaping other manufacturing investment across central Ohio. Amgen’s smart factory in New Albany, Ohio, first announced in 2021, opened in February 2024 as a highly automated assembly and packaging site for injectable medicines. Furthermore, Amgen announced a $900 million expansion of the campus in April 2025, which is expected to add 350 jobs, lift its Ohio workforce to about 750 and bring its total investment in the state to more than $1.4 billion, with construction targeted for completion in 2027.
Project Overview
- Project Name: Honda Ohio Hybrid Vehicle Plant
- Owner: Honda Motor Co.
- Location: Ohio, United States (exact site not publicly disclosed)
- Project Type: Automotive manufacturing plant for hybrid vehicles
- Project Value: About 300 billion to 400 billion yen ($1.9 billion to $2.53 billion), per Nikkei
- Capacity: Not publicly disclosed
- Site Area: Not publicly disclosed
- Status: In final stages of preparation, per Nikkei; not yet confirmed by Honda
- Announcement Date: Reported September 24, 2026
- Production Start: Expected 2030, per Nikkei
- Permanent Jobs: Not publicly disclosed
- Existing Ohio Footprint: Five of Honda’s 12 US factories, including Marysville, East Liberty and Anna
- Strategic Context: Follows Honda’s March 2026 cancellation of its 0 Series EVs and losses of up to 2.5 trillion yen ($15.7 billion)
- Supply Chain Target: More than fourfold increase in local content for hybrid motors and inverters
Project Team
Honda Ohio Hybrid Vehicle Plant
- Owner: Honda Motor Co.
- US Operations: American Honda Motor Co.
- Former EV Hub Battery Partner: LG Energy Solution
- Main Contractor: Not yet awarded
- Architect and Engineer: Not yet awarded
Amgen New Albany Campus, Ohio (related project)
- Owner: Amgen
- Regional Economic Development: One Columbus
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